3-1 Comebacks Pairs Draft - Semis - Dr Positivity vs durantbird*

[durantbird]

Here is a quick list of what you need in your writeup.

1. Specific years for each player on your team
2. Rotations and minutes for each player
3. Reasoning as to why your team will win and/or why people should vote for you.

Do not vote in this thread until both managers have submitted their writeups. Once the writeups are posted, I will add a poll, and the team with the most votes after 24 hours will advance. EACH MANAGER SHOULD ALSO VOTE FOR THEIR OWN TEAM IN THE POLL - IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS, YOU ARE SIMPLY GIVING AWAY A VOTE. If the votes are tied, we will decide the matchup via AI vote.

You are not required to state or explain your vote, but you are free to comment in the thread if you want to.

If writeups aren't posted within 24 hours, we will vote solely based on the players they have drafted (and any rotations they have posted on their roster page).

[durantbird]

PG: James Harden 17' - 18.9
SG: Mikal Bridges 21' - 9.3
SF: Jimmy Butler 25' - 10.9
PF: Jalen Williams 25' - 16.9
C: Shaquille O'Neal 01' - 19.2

Bench: Patrick Beverley 19' - 6.1
Bench: Nicolas Batum 25' - 3.1
Bench: Dikembe Mutombo 05' - 3.0

87.4/88

PG: James Harden 39 | Patrick Beverley 9 | Jimmy Butler
SG: Mikal Bridges 34 | Patrick Beverley 14 | Jimmy Butler
SF: Jimmy Butler 38 | Jalen Williams 8 | Mikal Bridges 2 | Nicolas Batum
PF: Jalen Williams 32 | Nicolas Batum 16 | Jimmy Butler
C: Shaquille O'Neal 38 | Dikembe Mutombo 10

vs

PG: Stephen Curry (38) / Shaun Livingston (10)
SG: Ray Allen (38) / Shaun Livingston (8) / Otto Porter (2)
SF: Tayshaun Prince (30) / Otto Porter (18)
PF: Kevin Love (36) / Serge Ibaka (12)
C: Dwight Howard (38) / Serge Ibaka (10)

Matchup:
Defensive assignments: Mikal vs Curry, JDub vs Allen, Harden vs Prince, Butler vs Love, Shaq vs Howard.

We like how our defensive assignments line up. Bridges is one of the best perimeter defenders in this pool and is well-equipped to chase Curry through screens and contest shots. Jalen Williams has the length and athleticism to stay with Ray Allen off-ball. Harden is hidden on Prince, who won’t demand much defensive attention. Butler brings physicality against Love, and Shaq has the size to deal with Dwight while also anchoring the paint.

Offensive advantage
Offensively, we hold a major edge inside. Shaq in 2001 is a nightmare matchup for Dwight—he’ll get deep position, draw fouls, and collapse their defense. Harden was an elite creator in 2017, and him and Shaq form a two headed monster, flanked by great supporting pieces. Between Curry, Allen, and Love, they have too many defensive weak points to cover all our threats. Harden, Butler, and JDub can each create offense against weaker defenders, and even Mikal is capable of attacking closeouts or hitting open shots when left unchecked.

Our supporting cast is efficient and balanced. Mikal and Jalen space the floor, cut well, and don’t need the ball to be effective. Butler gives us a physical halfcourt scorer who thrives in playoff settings, and Batum/Beverley add versatile defense and smart play off the bench. Mutombo keeps the interior defense strong when Shaq rests.

Defensive Edge

They rely heavily on Curry and Allen for offense, but both face strong, athletic defenders in Bridges and JDub. Love will struggle to defend in space or hold his ground against Butler, and if they play small to add spacing, Shaq becomes even more of a problem inside. Curry will get his shots, but we’ll make him work for everything.

Conclusion

We’re stronger inside, more physical, and better equipped to guard their key weapons. Shaq demands double teams, while Harden, JDub and Butler can punish those rotations. We have defensive versatility, offensive balance, and matchups that force them out of their comfort zone.

[Dr Positivity]

PG: Stephen Curry (2015: 16.8 FGA)
SG: Ray Allen (2006: 19.2 FGA)
SF: Tayshaun Prince (2004: 8.8 FGA)
PF: Kevin Love (2018: 12.4 FGA)
C: Dwight Howard (2009: 12.4 FGA)

PG/SG: Shaun Livingston (2017: 4.2 FGA)
SF: Otto Porter (2022: 6.6 FGA)
PF: Serge Ibaka (2012: 7.4 FGA)

87.8 / 88

PG: Stephen Curry (38) / Shaun Livingston (10)
SG: Ray Allen (38) / Shaun Livingston (8) / Otto Porter (2)
SF: Tayshaun Prince (30) / Otto Porter (18)
PF: Kevin Love (36) / Serge Ibaka (12)
C: Dwight Howard (38) / Serge Ibaka (10)

Defensive matchups: We'll try Curry on JDub, Love on Bridges, Allen on Butler, Prince on Harden, Howard on Shaq

We have pretty dangerous lineup of Curry and Splash Father Allen around Dwight who thrives with 4 out offense.

- Harden and Shaq is a good combo but not the PNR type game Harden usually plays

- Curry should do well against a wing on him in Bridges, and Allen against the Warriors version of Butler is ok. The Suns Bridges is less scary for Love to be on.

- Our bench has the advantage with Porter and Ibaka vs old Batum and Mutombo as the backup wings and center.

[durantbird]

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Matchup is open, Dr P please vote for yourself

[durantbird]

ChatGPT vote durantbird - durantbird advances

https://chatgpt.com/share/683405fe-2c14-800a-85e3-8d2306b7fc22

Spoiler:

Team durantbird likely wins in 6 or 7 games, assuming full health and playoff context.

Here’s a breakdown of why:


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Key Matchups & Tactical Breakdown

Star Power & Offensive Engines

Shaq (2001) is the most dominant force in this series and the biggest matchup problem. Dwight is a great defender, but 2001 Shaq was unstoppable even against elite bigs. He forces doubles and compromises defensive schemes.

James Harden (2017) had an MVP-level season, and though not peak playoff Harden, his offensive gravity, especially in tandem with Shaq, will consistently generate good shots.


Defensive Assignments

Mikal on Curry: Among the best on-ball defenders in the pool—while no one shuts down Curry, Bridges can contest effectively and chase through screens.

JDub on Allen: A respectable defender with enough size and mobility.

Harden on Prince: Hides Harden on a low-usage player.

Butler on Love: Butler should be able to handle Love's face-up and post-up game decently.

Shaq on Dwight: This favors Shaq more than Dwight. Dwight doesn’t stretch or pull Shaq out.


Meanwhile:

Curry on JDub, Allen on Butler, Love on Bridges — those are exploitable matchups.

Prince on Harden is solid but not enough to offset the mismatches elsewhere.

Howard on Shaq is the best they can do, but 2001 Shaq was simply too much even for the best defenders.



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Bench

Livingston, Porter, Ibaka are more modern, switchy, and balanced than Batum, Beverley, Mutombo, but the starting five gap is significant.

Mutombo still offers elite rim protection in 2005 form, which is more valuable than spacing from Ibaka in a playoff setting where every stop counts.



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Playoff Context

Butler thrives in physical, halfcourt playoff settings.

Durantbird’s team is better equipped to force mismatches, control the tempo, and win the possession game inside.



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Concerns for Dr Positivity's Team

Curry/Allen backcourt defense: Too vulnerable to be hidden against Harden, Butler, and JDub.

Love in space vs Bridges or Butler is a constant pressure point.

Offensively they’re potent, but they’ll be dealing with tough defenders across the perimeter and can't attack Shaq in space due to lack of a stretch 5.



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X-Factor

Shaq’s dominance forces rotations, and Harden’s passing punishes those. Unless Prince and Dwight both play above their peak levels simultaneously, it’s hard to stop the inside-out attack.



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Prediction:

Team durantbird wins in 6 or 7. Shaq is too much, and the defensive versatility with Bridges, JDub, Butler overwhelms Dr Positivity’s perimeter-based offense in a drawn-out playoff series.